Duchess of Cambridge dials in to speak to Evelina London nurses

HRH The Countess of Wessex, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and three Evelina London nurses

Evelina London Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, along with HRH The Countess of Wessex, video called nurses in celebration of International Nurses’ Day.

In celebration of International Nurses’ Day 2020 (Tuesday 12 May), members of The Royal Family spoke to healthcare professionals across the world to pay tribute to their hard work. The call was hosted by Nursing Now, a global campaign aiming to raise the profile of nursing. The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Princess Royal, The Countess of Wessex and Princess Alexandra joined calls to give their thanks to nurses across the Commonwealth for the incredible work they do on a daily basis.

As Patron of Evelina London, The Duchess of Cambridge, joined by The Countess of Wessex spoke to three Evelina London nurses. Each nurse has been working on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic and was selected to take part due to their outstanding commitment.

Adele McKnight, children’s intensive care nurse, Betty Williams, deputy clinical nurse specialist, and Christina Feasey, community nurse, spoke about how Evelina London nurses have come together in recent weeks to provide care to children and adults while tackling COVID-19. They also explained what they love about their jobs.

Christina, who provides care in the community for children in Lambeth and Southwark, said: “It was a real privilege to chat to The Duchess and The Countess, they were really interested in how our roles have changed during COVID-19. They also asked about how I have been coping when visiting children's houses and how the children were reacting to seeing us nurses in our personal protective equipment (PPE).

“I was able to say that despite COVID-19 we’ve been working hard to continue to care for those who need it most. We’ve encouraged children to have a giggle at our PPE to take away the impression of it being scary.

“I explained to The Duchess and The Countess that what I love most about my job is providing clinical care in the home so that children do not have to come into hospital.”

International Nurses’ Day was an especially important day in 2020 which is also the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale, who famously set up her first nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1860.

Janet Powell, Director of Nursing for Evelina London, said: “It was lovely for The Duchess and The Countess to spend some time with our nurses, and to hear about their experiences during the pandemic. Evelina London’s nurses have been very flexible and adapted well during this difficult time to ensure that they can continue to nurse children at home and in the hospital, as well as adults with COVID-19.”

Visit @EvelinaLondon on Twitter to watch a film of highlights from the calls.